Several programmes have featured recently on terrestrial tv in England in regards to the size zero debate, anorexic children and celebrities that just keep slimming down. Whilst I don't agree with the emancipiation of women I am sure I'm not alone with constantly focusing on weight as it seems to turn the world around today.
Its not just fashion designers and the modelling industry to blame but also the media for constantly focusing on women's weight and criticising celebrities for being too fat or too skinny and imposing these ideals on us as women.
Whats everyone else's views on this issue?If weight was not a media issue would anorexia still be on the rise?Or is just that some people are prone to anorexia and natural competition taken over?
Either way anorexia/bulimia sufferers are getting younger and younger and it depresses me seeing these children as young as 8 and 9 on tv being afraid to drink water because they think it will make them gain weight...

Some sociologists and psychologists propose that the trend for women to weigh less and less has to do with the recent feminist movements. Since women became more threatening to men in many areas of life, and especially those that give them much more power then some men would like, this new trend came about - showing women as smaller, weaker and less and less threatening-looking. At the same time, the focus on women's beauty has strengthened. Women are more and more encouraged to look gorgeous - almost like art objects to be trophied by men, as if that was the natural way of gender roles. Media's manipulation of men's insecurities and denial makes it impossible for most men to deal with these feelings in a healthy way. Women get smaller (in movies, comic books, games, advertising) and men get bigger and more muscular then ever!

I must also add that this theory also explains the increased degradation and humiliation of women in porn materials (something mostly produced for men, which on top of other things serves as a way for men to relieve their hatred towards women which they can't do in normal life).

As a reference, I used (and highly recommend, especially to men who are interested in learning how to overcome objectification of women as well as who don't agree with the socially accepted and advertised definition of masculinity) - Jackson Katz "The Macho Paradox" and his video "Tough Guise" and Gary Brooks "The Centerfold Syndrome".
These books are written by men and talk about these issues from men's perspective.

Sorry but I have to disagree to a point! Whilst I find the size 0 issue abhorent, it is a very small minority of girls that are actually acheiving this, mostly anorexic models and film stars. How many girls walking down our high streets are size 0? Most of them are seriously overweight. Why is it that 20% of all pregnant women are obese before pregnancy. Obesity is far more of a problem in our society (UK and USA at least) than anorexia ever will be.

I don't attribute this (size zero) to feminism at all, it is more likely that women are trying to out do women. Women, as we know, are very critcal of women. How often has you been aware of another women eyeing you up in a most critical way, sort of "what the hell does she look like, what is she wearing".

In the 50's, my parents day, women were generally much slimmer, had slimmer waists, etc etc, and more hour glass shape. Now waist lines have increased and clothing sizing has been adjusted to take account of this increase in female shapes. Average waist in the 50's was arond 22" or 23" and now it is more like 26" or 27". (Apologies to those who work in metric)

I do think that much of has to do with magazines, even health and fitness magazines are responsible too. But I do not think that is has anything to do with pornography, it is womens choice to partipate in this, most of the time, but granted there are exceptions.

With the modelling situation, some countries are banning size 0, then the girl create because they say it is discrimination. But how often do you see a model over a size 10?

media bosses using people as monkeys sometime just for rating worries,and pity planty monkeys waiting on queue for to be monkey

Models are required to be as thin as possible in order to 'show' the designers creations to their full potential. The model is just the 'clothes horse' and the fact that they bare little resemblance to your average 'Miss' is irrelevant for the designers. Most women realise this - but as with everything there are those (mostly young or naive or a combination of the two) who strive to achieve the 'model figure' with sometimes catastrophic consequences.
I don't think it is about wanting to appeal to men at all - since it seems well documented that men prefer curves - it is all about the opinion of other women - and somehow the status to show that you can be self-restraining and not eat biscuits and chocolate and 'goodies' that are fattening.
Personally I think that a healthy body shape is more important - different genes and metabolism mean we all are naturally different and we should make the most of what we have and enjoy being unique.

first of all, I didn't invent those theories myself! I read about them in the books I mentioned.
second of all, just because obesity is a bigger problem then anorexia doesn't prove that those problems aren't real. of course only a small percentage of people will actually look like those unreal examples, there's no doubt about it (even if people wanted, most of us couldn't look the perfect way), the real question is where did these strange trends come from - as Capoiera said - women didn't just conjure these things up!

What are all these worries for, dear ladies of my class? Whether fat or slim, obesite or anorexian, I am ready to marry a woman of each sort!